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We Will Serve
By: Sara O., Sunshine
The past year has been a challenge in many ways and has been different from the life we are used to. At school, in our social life, and in Rainbow, we have had to adapt to these changes, while we figure out how to continue to do the things we love and the things that remain important to us. We have learned new types of social media in all aspects of our life – the most common of which is known as “Zoom™.” The word “zoom” – up until this past year – primarily meant to move quickly. While this year may not have moved quickly, we have quickly learned a different way to do things.
One of the things that may often be done differently, while having the same importance, is acts of service. Sunshine Assembly has found many ways to continue to serve while keeping socially distant from others. For most of the year, we had to find ways to serve individually or not with other assembly members. As the pandemic conditions have improved, we have been able to get together in small groups, while protecting ourselves and those around us. It has been challenging and fun to do service projects during this time.
In the last term of 2020, we collected old towels and sheets to donate to a local humane society. All items were picked up by or delivered to our Worthy Advisor, Emily, who then, with the help of her mother, took all of the items to the animal shelter. They were so grateful, and we continue to accept and deliver items whenever anyone has them.
This term started with our members sending Valentine cards to residents of the Masonic Home in Covina. The home currently has almost 70 residents, and the four members of our assembly sent over 280 cards. In March, we delivered cookies (which had to be purchased rather than homemade) to local fire stations. The girls, wearing masks, were able to personally give the cookies to the first responders, who loved seeing the girls, and receiving the wonderful treats! In April, we were told of a local family struggling during the pandemic, as one of their children has also been battling cancer. While we weren’t able to visit with him or his family, we did provide Easter Baskets for him and his three siblings. We also gave the family a grocery store gift card, which could be used for a great Easter dinner.
For our next service project. If we can meet in person, we would like to have a picnic in a local park, inviting our families and friends. After eating lunch, the girls will clean up the park, picking up as much trash as they can, and properly disposing of it. We don’t want the month to go by without being of some service, so if we can’t get together yet as a group, we plan to have a picnic in the park closest to each member, with just members of their household. Hopefully, we can get our family members to pick up trash with us, but if not – each member of the assembly still plans to clean up the park.
For Sunshine Assembly, service is both fun and rewarding, and has become even more than ever, our way of life. We can’t wait to come up with even more ways to serve.
Meet the Meerkats – Grand Patriotism and Rep. to IA/MO
Our Patriotic Meerkat
By: Karina M., Grand Patriotism and Rep. to IA/MO, Unity
Hi there California Rainbow! I’m Karina M. your Patriotic Milestone-Making Meerkat and I am honored to be serving as your Grand Patriotism and Representative to Iowa and Missouri! To say that I am excited for this year is definitely an understatement!
Here’s a little bit about my Rainbow life, I’m from Unity Assembly located in Castro Valley, CA. I was initiated at Grand Assembly 2016 by the Charming Cheetahs after my sister, Sabrina, decided that I should be initiated at her Grand Assembly when she was serving as a member of the GEC, Lecturer, and Representative to Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. To be honest with you all, I was kind of nervous to join Rainbow since for some reason I thought I wouldn’t belong even though that couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, I told myself that I probably wouldn’t be that active, but you see that sentiment has clearly changed! In my time at Rainbow, I have served as Worthy Advisor for my assembly once and as Assistant to the Grand Musician for Grand Assembly 2019 which were both extremely fun times. I love my assembly and I enjoy every moment I can spend with them! Whether it be traveling across the state, stuffing cupcakes in our mouths together at refreshments, or hanging out in the zoom room before our virtual meetings, I am always happy to be with them.
I was born on November 3rd, 2003, in Hayward, CA. I have lived in the Bay Area all my life and I can say that I love it here! I live with my parents, Erning and Pannir, my sister, Sabrina, and our three cats: Rajah, Molly, and Simba. If it isn’t obvious I am a huge lover of cats, in fact, I won the senior superlative for the biggest cat lover at my high school! In school, I was a part of a club called CVHS Cultural Dance Team for all four years of high school and served as Treasurer and Vice President. Although I’m not the greatest at dancing, I thoroughly enjoyed being able to try new things and meet new friends along the way. A few hobbies I also enjoy are cooking, embroidering, playing the piano, shopping, playing video games, and hanging out with my friends. I started many new hobbies during quarantine and although I haven’t kept all of them, I still enjoyed being able to try new things.
Some people might call me a nerd, and they are correct. I mean what kind of person actually enjoys biology, physics, calculus, and US history if they are not a huge nerd? I plan on majoring in Molecular Biology in the fall and pursuing a career as either a scientific researcher or a surgeon in the future. As someone who is very curious the opportunity to travel around the state and to other parts of the country is super exciting because I get to learn more about places I never would’ve known about!
I hope you all enjoyed getting to know me a bit more! I am beyond excited to meet many of you whether it be virtually or in person and I am so thrilled to see what this milestone-making year has in store!
Fullerton Yorba Linda in 2020
By: Julia Russell, Fullerton Yorba Linda
This year for the virtual Grand Assembly, the theme was Enchanted Forest – Dream, Lead, Believe. Our assembly put together small packages filled with goodies for the girls to enjoy while participating in the sessions. They had snacks in them, along with notepads to write down the mascot clues, notes, bubbles, and a swag bag sewed by one of the girls. On Saturday night during revelations, our Worthy Advisor Elizabeth D. was chosen to be Grand Chaplain and Representative to Bolivia for the upcoming Centennial Grand Assembly in 2022 with the Milestone Making Meerkats. On Sunday, the State PR team announced their new members and Julia R., Charity of our assembly, was selected to join the State PR team. The amount raised over the past two years for the Grand Service Project, The Painted Turtle, was announced that California Rainbow raised over $100,000 for The Painted Turtle, to help those who have illnesses that would prevent them from experiencing summer camp and ability to do so.
Even with the craziness that was the 2020 year, California Rainbow has persevered through it and this Virtual Grand Assembly has truly shown how the core beliefs of Rainbow have helped all of the girls to persevere through what the world was willing to throw at us. Fullerton/Yorba Linda Assembly hosted a puzzle drive to help the Eastern Star Senior Living Community, we arranged with the center as to what kind of puzzles they liked then set up a place for people to drop off new unopened puzzles by just driving by and dropping them off. We collected 34 puzzles for the members of the living center and dropped them off. It was fun too, after months of being unable to do service projects like before to set up this drive while still keeping everyone safe. Our assembly is also starting to do 101 classes on a large array of different topics picked by and set up by each girl on their own.
Meet the Meerkats – Grand Chaplain and Rep. to Bolivia
Leading the Gang in Prayer
By: Elizabeth D., Grand Chaplain and Rep. to Bolivia, Fullerton/Yorba Linda
Hello California Rainbow! I’m Elizabeth D., the Grand Chaplain and Representative to Bolivia for this year. I am so excited to serve California Rainbow as a Milestone Making Meerkat and I can’t wait to see the many milestones we will be making. For now, I would like to briefly introduce myself.
I am a member of Fullerton/ Yorba Linda Assembly, where I first became a member in 2014. I first discovered Rainbow through my mom as she is Past Grand Immorality of 1992. She told my sister and me that Rainbow is an organization that will prepare us for life. And oh was she right! I have learned so much about how to give back to my community while also being able to improve my public speaking skills. In my assembly, I’ve held the offices of Chaplain, Drill Leader, Recorder, and the Line. I have also been serving as Worthy Advisor for the third time.
Outside of Rainbow, I attend the California State University of Fullerton as an Art Major and plan to enter the Entertainment Art and Animation concentration! My dream is to be an animator or storyboard artist for major studios, making my love for art into a career!
My twin sister is also a Rainbow Girl, and for all those who are going to ask, no, we do not look alike. In addition to my sister, I have two cats, two dogs, and a lizard. My favorite animals are pigs but do not worry, meerkats will always stay close to my heart. Finally, some of my favorite hobbies I enjoy are listening to podcasts, playing video games, and sewing.
I hope this helps you learn a bit about me. I can’t wait to travel across the state with my fellow meerkats and meet everyone! This year is going to be great, I can already tell! See you all soon!
With all my Meerkat and Butterfly love,
Elizabeth D.
Meet the Meerkats – GEC, Grand Christian Flag Bearer and Rep. to Aruba/FL/TN
Strumming Along Waving My Flag
By: Elise S., GEC, Grand Christian Flag Bearer and Rep. to Aruba/FL/TN, Infinity
My name is Elise S., and I am the 2022 GEC/Christian Flag Bearer and Representative to Aruba, Florida, and Tennessee! This is such a perfect office for me! I have loved giving the Christian Flag tribute, and have always felt the Christian Flag is a beautiful symbol of my faith. Not only is my faith really important to me, but my grandfather grew up in Tennessee, so I have a special connection there.
I am currently Worthy Associate Advisor of Infinity Assembly, and although we are a small assembly, we have lots of fun and enjoy activities with assemblies in our area. I have also served on the PR Team for several years and was co-lead of the PR Team last year. Working alongside Angellina M., PGE, and the other girls, and being mentored by the Grand Directors and the adult members of the PR Team has been an amazing experience. I have not only enjoyed serving CA IORG, but I’ve also made some amazing friends and learned so much about public relations and marketing. This has led me to a job as the Graphic Designer / PR and Social Media Manager for a small educational organization, and I’m so excited to put my new skills to use. It is proof that “Rainbow gets girls ready for life!”
Besides my active life in Rainbow, I enjoy spending time with my baby nephew, archery, swimming, doing Crossfit workouts, and rock climbing, especially with my siblings. We live close to many hiking trails, and not too far from the beach, so I’m learning to surf, and hiking is one of my favorite things to do with my family. Basically, I’m a California girl, so I love being active!
I am also on a speech and debate team and have enjoyed traveling for competitions. This year has been a mix of virtual and in-person tournaments, but it has been an amazing experience, and I’m excited to be able to go to Nationals in Tennessee. Since Tennessee is one of my representative states, I’m hoping to be able to contact one of the Rainbow assemblies in the area. Although I will graduate from high school in 2021, I will continue competing in debate in college next year.
There are a few things that seem to have always been a part of my family life: church, music, and Rainbow! And, I love them all! I am excited to be able to develop my love for all of these areas in my life in 2021. I will be attending Concordia University, Irvine, in the Fall, and will be an Entrepreneurial Ministry Leadership Major, with the goal of having a career in Youth Ministry.
As a third-generation Rainbow Girl, I’ve been going to Grand Assembly since I was a baby, and have competed in Talent Competition, Ritual Competition, Speech Competition, and served as a Grand Choir girl several times. I was honored to be part of the California Bow Team competition at Supreme Assembly 2020, as well as the Super Seven. I guess you could say I enjoy speaking and competing! In 2018, I had the honor of being Assistant to the Grand Musician, and traveling with my sister, Denise, who was Grand Choir Director and Rep. to OH/PA. This was one of the highlights of my time in Rainbow because I have always believed that your talent is God’s gift to you, and what you do with it is your gift back to God. It was so fun to be a part of the Music Team with Denise and Maritza P., 2018 Grand Musician and Rep. to NJ/NY, and to meet Rainbow Girls and adults all over the state!
I’m so grateful for the opportunity to serve California Rainbow in this Centennial year as Christian Flag Bearer and a member of the Grand Executive Committee, and to represent our state in Aruba, Florida, and Tennessee! It is such an honor to be one of the Milestone Making Meerkats! I cannot wait to make memories with Rainbow Girls around the state!
Meet the Meerkats – Grand Drill Leader and Rep. to AZ/NM
Walk a Mile in my Shoes
By: Abigail S., Grand Drill Leader and Rep. to AZ/NM, Marysville
Hi! My name is Abigail S. and I’m Grand Drill Leader and Representative to Arizona and New Mexico. I was initiated into Marysville Assembly in September of 2013. Since my Initiation, I’ve held many offices and I’ve gone up the line twice. I held my first term as Worthy Advisor in the fall of 2016, and my second term was in January of 2019. I was in Grand Choir in 2015, 2016, and 2018, I was Grand Marshall in 2019, and I was Observer Helper in 2021. I graduated from East Nicolaus High School in 2020 and I now attend Sonoma State University where I plan on majoring in English to become an English teacher.
Growing up I was the only girl in my family until 2015 when my little sister was born. I got into Rainbow because my grandma was State Mom to the 2007 Gregarious Grizzlies. I am so thankful to my grandma and my parents for introducing me to Rainbow for I have learned so much and I have gained wonderful memories and friends that I will cherish forever! I am so excited to meet all of my new sisters and to go throughout this journey with them as we prepare ourselves for Grand Assembly and cherish all of the amazing moments we will share.
All of my Milestone Making Love,
Abigail S.
Grand Drill Leader and Rep. to AZ/NM
Meet the Meerkats – Grand Confidential Observer and Rep. to KS/NB
Your Friend at the Door
By: Jessica O., Grand Confidential Observer and Rep. to KS/NB, Central Coast
My name is Jessica O. and I am your Grand Confidential Observer and Representative to Kansas and Nebraska for our centennial Grand Assembly in 2022! I’m so very excited for all I will learn this year and the memories I will make with the Milestone Making Meerkats! But first, I would love to introduce myself so you can get to know a little bit about me.
My Rainbow life began in 2012 when I was a pledge girl. I have a small family history with Rainbow, but I was pushed to join in on all the fun and soon fell in love with this organization. At the age of nine, I did what I could by attending fun projects, helping out at fundraisers, and even attended my first Grand Assembly. It was a truly magical experience and my spark for Rainbow grew from there. I continued to do as much as I could, whenever I could. I was even lucky enough to be a part of the Pledge presentation during Grand Assembly in 2013. After a bit more waiting, I was finally old enough to join my local Rainbow Assembly, Central Coast. From there I took every opportunity I could, eventually finding myself in the Grand Choir for Grand Assembly in 2016, where I experienced a taste of what being in the grand family was like and may I say, the hairpiece takes a little getting used to. In 2020, I surprisingly became a sweepstakes winner for my photography submission for our arts & crafts competition! How crazy is that! Slightly before this, in 2019, I joined the Public Relations team and had a blast at our retreat where I met girls from all over California who were as excited as I was to work together to make amazing things happen and we did! In 2021, I continued on the team to lead the blog project while helping with merchandise, assembly packets, resources, and social media scheduling, to name a few. This year, my most recent Rainbow milestone was when I was installed as Grand Confidential Observer and Representative to Kansas and Nebraska! That weekend was a whirlwind but I wouldn’t have it any other way!
Outside of Rainbow, I was active in my High School Theatre Company where I helped with the behind-the-scenes jobs such as being a prop master, director, stage manager, lighting designer, and technician. I had a lovely time traveling with my theatre company to their state thespian festival as well as the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in the summer. But above all, I love stage managing and my passion for the work I did led me to be awarded the “best stage manager award” at our annual banquet. While balancing my Rainbow life and my theatre life, I managed to be awarded the eagle recognition award for my work in academics along with my extracurriculars during my senior year of high school. I can surely say that I wouldn’t have been able to work as confidently, as professionally, or as passionately if I wasn’t a Rainbow Girl as well.
Other than working, I promise I have fun! Specifically, I enjoy traveling which I have been lucky enough to do for many years as I have traveled annually to visit my family in Wisconsin during my summers and joined along with my middle school theatre program to go to New York City once! Getting on a plane and traveling around the U.S has always been a ton of fun for me and I’m so excited to potentially visit my representative states in person soon! Fun Fact: my favorite holiday is Halloween! I enjoy it so much that I volunteer annually with my hometown’s parks and recreation department to throw on a Halloween Carnival and Haunted Maze! Every year I participate as a decorator for the mansion as well as an actor in the maze itself which is always a blast! As you may have been able to tell from an earlier discussed award I won, I love photography! I was never gifted with the ability to draw or sing or dance but I know my way around a camera! My last hobby I will share is my love for creative writing! As I often enjoy watching films or reading books, I adore writing my own stories and often have a storyline or two rattling around in my head waiting to be put to paper. Maybe one day I’ll pull together these ideas and write a novel, you never know what the future will hold.
But for now, I have my sights set on making the most out of my grand year and creating every lasting memory I can with my fellow Milestone-Making Meerkats! I hope you enjoyed this little get to know me and I can’t wait to see you all again very soon!
Meet the Meerkats – Grand Hope and Rep. To Oregon and Brazil
Our Cheerful Hope
By: Angelina R., Grand Hope and Rep. to Oregon and Brazil, Buena Park
Hi California Rainbow! I am Angelina R. and I am Grand Hope and Representative to Oregon and Brazil for 2022! I came across this wonderful organization one day when my mom and I were driving home from the grocery store in the summer of 2013. We passed by a fireworks booth and saw a bunch of girls waving signs around that said “Rainbow Girls”. My mom immediately pulled into the parking lot and walked me over to the booth. I was a shy 11-year-old girl at that time with blue hair and I was very confused as to why my mom was making me talk with a bunch of strangers. After talking with the girls for a bit I realized that they were all a lot of fun and I enjoyed spending time with them! On the car ride home, my mom explained to me what the order was and that she was a Rainbow Girl when she was younger! I was hesitant to show interest in Rainbow at first, mainly because of the dresses, I was a major tomboy at that time! But, after just a few months of fun events and getting to know everyone, I was initiated into Buena Park Assembly in November of 2013 just before my 12th birthday. And my life has been full of excitement ever since!
During my time in Rainbow, I have held the office of Worthy Advisor a total of five times! I have had countless opportunities to serve my community and participate in so many great events that I found so fulfilling. Rainbow has helped me become more confident in myself and has made me realize that I have a love for public speaking! The ritual has always held a special place in my heart and I will cherish it forever! Rainbow has also taught me how to be organized, responsible, and on time. It truly does get you ready for life and I honestly don’t know where I would be if I didn’t have Rainbow!
Aside from Rainbow, I am currently attending college and I am studying Psychology. My overall goal is to become a Social Worker at a high school! I also love animals and volunteer at a homeless cat shelter on the weekends. As a child, I was always very into sports and I was a soccer player and a swimmer for most of my life. In high school, I was in choir and for my senior year, I made it onto the cheer team! Now I have an obsession with cheer and I am currently a member of the cheer squad at my college! I also really enjoy photography, makeup, the outdoors, and exploring new places! I am so excited for this Milestone Making year and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for me, the Meerkats, and all of California Rainbow!
Meet the Meerkats – Grand Charity and Rep. to Washington/Idaho
The Golden Apple of California
By: Emily M., Grand Charity and Rep. to WA/ID, San Jose
Hey there Pot of Gold reader! My name is Emily M., and I am beyond thrilled to be your new Grand Charity and Representative to Washington/Idaho for California Rainbow’s Centennial Grand Assembly! I was born on October 5th, 2002 in Santa Clara, California to my parents Sara and Josam Mulinyawe. I have one little sister, Hazel, who isn’t so little since she’s been taller than me for years now and she is also in Rainbow. Last but by no means least, we have my two quarantine puppies, Mochi and Maui, they are truly the apple of our eyes. My family can’t get enough of them and they are absolutely spoiled.
It is safe to say that Rainbow has been a part of my life since the day I was born. This amazing organization has been in my family since my great-grandma, making me a fourth-generation Rainbow Girl. Before I could join an assembly, I was highly active in San Jose’s Pledge Group. When I was finally eligible to join an assembly there was no hesitation. I was initiated into San Jose Assembly on October 5th, 2013, my eleventh birthday. Since then I have served as Worthy Advisor for three terms and had the themes “Have faith in your dreams and someday your rainbow will come smiling through…” from Cinderella and “Never let anyone dull your sparkle,” a royal theme (if you couldn’t tell I have a fondness for princesses). In 2017, I was honored to receive the Grand Cross of Color and participate in the ceremony at Grand Assembly as Active Designate. That same year, I was appointed as a representative of California IORG on the Supreme Training and Development Team with this year’s Grand Worthy Advisor, Katie! We were given the amazing opportunity to attend the Supreme Seminar in 2019 in Disneyland and present our ideas for IORG at Supreme Assembly in 2020. I also got to strut my stuff on the Grand floor as a Vivacious Van Grand Marshal in 2019. Rainbow has been such a blessing in my life and I am so grateful for everyone who has invested their heartbeats in me. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without the friendships and memories I have made along my Rainbow journey.
There’s one thing I forgot to add and I can’t quite put my finger on it…. oh yeah, the PR Team! I was selected as a member of the State Public Relations team in 2019 and served up until my Grand Appointment. The PR Team holds a big place in my heart. I learned so much, made some pretty great friends, and found my life calling simultaneously. While I struggled to find a major in High School, my experiences on the PR Team and newfound love for marketing influenced my decision. Currently, I am studying Business Administration with a focus on Marketing at a University close to home and am hoping to be on campus in the fall.
Outside of school and Rainbow, I enjoy performing on stage and whipping up new recipes. I have been dancing since the age of six and for the most part, competitively. Over the years I have explored the styles of Ballet, Pointe, Hip Hop, Acrobatics, Tap, and Character, but my favorites are Jazz and Contemporary. I absolutely love to bake. I’ve baked everything from cookies, macarons, cakes, cupcakes, cannolis, bread, pies, cheesecakes, you name it, I’ll never shy away from a challenge. I typically like all types of music (except country, sorry if you’re a country fan), but especially enjoy jazz and pop. When it comes to TV, I can be quite the couch potato and am a huge fan of the Harry Potter series, The Office, and New Girl. My favorite Harry Potter movie is The Prisoner of Azkaban and my Hogwarts House is Ravenclaw. I am extremely honored and excited to be a Grand Officer this year and to make so many milestones with the rest of the Milestone Making Meerkats. I can not wait to see you at California Rainbow’s Centennial Grand Assembly, but until then, stay golden!
